5 Al Pacino movies that totally negate his The Godfather aura

There are a few actors who walk into a room and everybody can feel that strong presence. We have several such names but we are here to talk about Al Pacino. But we won't be talking about his iconic Michael Corleone from The Godfather movies. Instead, we will be exploring roles that negate that mafia-like aura.

Over the years, he has appeared in a range of roles and has won a plethora of awards in his career. While we know him in gangster roles such as in Scarface (1983), Dick Tracy (1990), Donnie Brasco (1997), and more. He has also appeared in roles that are opposite, so his roles similar to Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman (2019) are automatically eliminated from this list.

In the list below, you will find Al Pacino portraying a cop, a cool friend, a mentor, and more. So let's see what makes these roles different from his Michael Corleone.

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Al Pacino as...

5. Vincent Hanna in Heat

Michael Mann's Heat was the first film where Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were seen together. Many people will say that we shouldn't forget The Godfather Part II. However, the answer to it is that they didn't share the screen. Pacino played LAPD cop Vincent Hanna and De Niro played Neil McCauley, a professional thief whom Hanna is after.

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4. Will Dormer in Insomnia

The veteran actor has appeared in one Christopher Nolan film too, called Insomnia. He was a law enforcement officer in the film, but unlike his energetic Hanna, his Will Dormer is a sleepless man looking for the author responsible for the death of a young girl. Though you'll learn who the killer is during the mid-movie only, it isn't until the end that justice is served.

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3. Shylock in The Merchant of Venice

Pacino is an entirely different character as we see a story that's playing during the Shakespearean era. He plays Shylock, who is originally a more prominent character in the original story but not in the film, a man revengeful towards Christians. He is a product of his past, where Jews were treated harshly.

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2. Val in Stand Up Guys

Al Pacino plays the cool Val in Stand Up Guys along with Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin, who play Doc and Richard Hirsch, respectively, in the film. Although Richard is cooler, especially due to his driving skills at this age. Doc has been given a task to kill Val before a certain time limit, where failing to do so means Doc's death.

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1. Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman

This is perhaps Al Pacino's best role to this date. He owned that disciplinary committee scene and his dialogue still lives rent-free in the heads of fans.

"There is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit. There's no prosthetic for that."

Pacino played a blind man, Frank Slade, but his character was able to see better than most.

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